So I'm going to be laid off at the end of this month, and I've come to the conclusion that short-term contracting is my best bet in this economy until I can rack up a few certs.
As experienced as I am with many things, I don't have any real marketable skills or fancy pieces of paper to impress potential employers on places like ODesk or Guru.com, BUT...
Looky what I found...
TaskRabbithttp://www.taskrabbit.com
Get just about anything done by safe, reliable, awesome people.
...
1. Post a Task
It’s free to post a Task! Include all the necessary info for the TaskRabbit to do the job.
2. TaskRabbits make offers
The background-checked TaskRabbit who makes the lowest bid will automatically be assigned and run your task.
3. Pay when Task is done
Pay the TaskRabbit conveniently online; no cash needed.
Fees run around 15%, and folks can get paid via check in the mail, or PayPal.
If you are a good TaskRabbit, you can gain reputation and do pretty well.
The top guy on there is making ~$5000 USD a month
Too bad they're not in the Seattle area
yet...
DoMyStuffhttp://www.domystuff.com
Too Much Stuff to Do? Not Enough Time? Let Other People Do Your Stuff!
...
The tasks you post can range from the mundane, such as mowing the lawn or picking up dry cleaning, to the extraordinary, such as arranging dinner with a celebrity or chartering a private jet. Don't limit yourself. Post anything you need done, and get back to living your life!
1. Post your day-to-day chores, errands, and other tasks that clutter your life
2. Choose the bidding duration for your task
3. Limit bidders based on location, rating, and more
4. Assistants bid to do your task
5. Review bids for your task and choose an assistant
6. Communicate with your assistant
7. Leave feedback for your assistant
Very similar with a feedback system and reputation building, and they have a private message board for communication between employers and bidders.
Says they charge a "small fee" to get contact information for the prospective employer.
Zaarlyhttp://www.zaarly.com
Zaarly is changing how the economy works. That's all... just a little global economic disruption.
Zaarly enables people to ask for anything from people nearby.
A simple idea; but when it takes root in a community, the impact is profound.
Buyers decide what they want and the price they want to pay and someone from the community makes it happen, creating a job and keeping money local.
Zaarly helps anyone invest directly into their local economy.
Zaarly seems more informal and kinda like an open market; stuff you want to buy or sell are mixed in with job offers.
They've got a mobile app, and you can sign up through Facebook.
They only charge a fee if you do a credit card transaction (10%) and they use
PoundPay for all their transactions, though the Help says you can get paid via direct deposit or PayPal, or even cash from the buyer.
Neat ideas, I hope these catch on.
I like the idea of community-level economy building like this, and just like they say in the spam ads, I can set my own hours and work from home (more or less...).
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- flavored with a grain of salt
